By JOHN LIKANJE
ROCHESTER, N.Y – Wellsville surged to a double-digit lead and locked down on defense in the second half to defeat Wayland-Cohocton, 69-52, in the Section V class B2 final.
Leading 37-36 in the opening seconds of the third quarter, Maxwell Jusianiec sparked the Wellsville Lions with 10 points during a 19-4 run for a 56-40 edge in the beginning of the final period. The junior forward knocked down a pair of three-pointers, two free throws and a layup.
“I knew our offense was okay,” Wellsville head coach Raymie Auman said. “We just had to clamp down on defense. We gave up six points, I believe, in the third quarter.”
Senior guards Alec Acampora and Joe Tronetti each netted a shot from beyond the arc. Jimmy McKinley made a pair of foul shots and Aiden Cook hit an attempt from the charity stripe. During the run, the Lions held the Wayland-Cohocton Eagles to 11 missed field goals and four turnovers in 18 possessions.
“We needed to get momentum on defense,” Auman explained. “I think we got a few stops and then a few buckets and it kind of got that run over with.”
Alec Acampora 3-pointer extends Wellsville lead to 54-40 over Wayland-Cohocton at the end of the 3rd quarter. @PickinSplinters pic.twitter.com/QDb1sBIhPP
— John Mitchell Likanje Junior (@jml5798) March 2, 2019
Jusianiec poured 17 of his game-high 21 points in the second half, including 10 in the third quarter, as the Lions outscored the Eagles, 32-18. The junior forward went 11-of-12 from the free throw line and collected three rebounds.
“Once we got towards the second half, they (Wayland-Cohocton) got in foul trouble, so we started putting Max in spots where it could hopefully get him to the line,” Auman said about Jusianiec.
Tronetti netted 10 of his 13 points in the first half as the Lions held a 37-34 lead going into the locker room. The senior guard grabbed three rebounds, handed out three assists and swiped a steal.
Aiden Cook came off the bench and invigorated the Lions with 10 points through the first 16 minutes of game play. For the day, the senior forward had 11 along with four rebounds.
“He’s a sixth starter,” Auman explained about Aiden Cook. “He’s played the part well and that’s just the credit of our team.”
Senior center Colin Cook chipped in 10 points, pulled down six rebounds, blocked a shot and had a steal.
For Wayland-Cohocton, Connor Englert scored 12 of his team-high 17 points in the first half. The senior guard collected four rebounds, dished out three assists and blocked a shot.
Jamie Carman had 10 of his 16 points by halftime. The junior forward grabbed four rebounds and swiped a pair of steals.
The Lions win their third sectional title in the last five years. Wellsville claimed back-to-back Section V class B2 titles in 2015 and 2016.
Wellsville will play Greece Odyssey in the New York State Far West Class B Regional Qualifier on Wednesday.
WAYLAND COHOCTON (13-10)
Connor Englert 6-17 2-4 17; Jamie Carman 6-11 2-4 16; Cameron Huber 1-10 6-6
9; Derek Cheasman 2-3 0-0 5; DeAndre Green 1-2 0-0 2; Keeghan Savoir 1-4 0-0
2; Logan Brown 0-0 1-2 1; Nate Smalt 0-0 0-0 0; Justin Horton 0-3 0-1 0;
Ethan Trischler 0-1 0-0 0; Blake Zastawrny 0-0 0-0 0; Justin Schwab 0-1 0-0
0. Totals 17-52 11-17 52.
WELLSVILLE (18-5)
Max Jusianiec 4-10 11-12 21; Joe Tronetti 4-11 1-2 13; Aiden Cook 3-6 4-6
11; Colin Cook 3-6 4-4 10; Alex Acampora 3-6 0-0 8; Jimmy McKinley 1-4 2-2
4; Tyler Fuoco 1-1 0-0 2; Brayden Delahunt 0-0 0-0 0; Danny Reed 0-0 0-0 0;
Aidan Hart 0-0 0-0 0; Gage Caldwell 0-0 0-0 0; Seth Sexton 0-0 0-0 0; Liam
McKinley 0-0 0-0 0; Holden Hoffman 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-44 22-26 69.
Wayland Cohocton………….. 15 19 6 12 – 52
Wellsville………………..
3-point goals–Wayland Cohocton 7-28 (Connor Englert 3-10; Jamie Carman 2-6;
Derek Cheasman 1-2; Cameron Huber 1-8; Justin Schwab 0-1; Keeghan Savoir
0-1), Wellsville 9-19 (Joe Tronetti 4-7; Max Jusianiec 2-5; Alex Acampora
2-4; Aiden Cook 1-2; Jimmy McKinley 0-1). Fouled out–Wayland Cohocton-None,
Wellsville-None. Rebounds–Wayland Cohocton 21 (Keeghan Savoir 7),
Wellsville 27 (Alex Acampora 6; Colin Cook 6). Assists–Wayland Cohocton 8
(Connor Englert 3; Cameron Huber 3), Wellsville 8 (Alex Acampora 4). Total
fouls–Wayland Cohocton 19, Wellsville 16. Technical fouls–Wayland
Cohocton-None, Wellsville-None. A-800
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